Surly Doubles Down on Bar Food with New Pizza

Surly Brewing has announced that the second level restaurant space inside its monstrous brewery will switch from four-star dining to pizza slinging eatery. When the massive and wildly popular brewery in Minneapolis first opened in 2015 the lower level was dominated by a taproom with food that was built for beer pairing. People raved about the burger, meats and various fried offerings. Upstairs, the brewery went out on a limb with an ambitious partnership with its then-head chef, creating a fine-dining restaurant with boundary pushing food and bold flavors built to pair with Surly’s beer.

Despite high praise, that restaurant, Brewer’s Table closed at the end of August and the chef departed the business. It was part of a string of high-profile departures after the dismissal of Linda Haug and the subsequent resignation of founding head brewer Todd Haug.

The newest chapter for the brewery and its fans, known as the Surly Nation, is the addition of an upstairs pizza restaurant. Surly’s new executive chef Ben Peine was inspired by a recent trip to Connecticut to make New Haven style pizza, a variation on Neapolitan. “Pizza and beer is an easy sell,” Peine told the Star Tribune.

Popular restaurant design firm Shea has been brought in to change up the room which is expected to open before the end of the year.

• Surly Brewing replacing its second-floor Brewer’s Table with pizza joint [STRIB]
• Despite High Praise, Surly Will Close Brewer’s Table [ETC]
• Todd and Linda Haug exit Minneapolis for 3 Floyd’s Brewing Co. [ETC]